Picker stick



June 15 1926.

1,588,601 E. McCRAW PICKER STICK Filed April 10. 1923 IN VENTOR L'DWAMM C/PAW BY T AT ORNEY Patented June 15, 1926.

UNITED STATES EDWARD MGCRAVJ, 0E NOR/IlIE-I ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS.

PICKER STICK.

Application filed April 10, 1923. Serial No. 631,120.

In looms, it frequently happens that the picker stick 1S caught or broken and it is therefore desirable that it be. ca )able of 1 yielding, particularly on the return stroke,

to avoid breakage or stopping.- Hcwever',

the stick should be comparatively rigid on the forward or driving stroke, so as not to have any considerable lost motion that might result in an incomplete travel of the shuttle which the picker sticks drives. The stick usually operates a shuttle at the rate of about 114 times a minute, so that if the stick flexed backwardly too readily during the driving stroke, that rate of operation would not-be possible.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved picker stick which will have little or no lost motion, on the driving movement; which if caught will yield in order to avoid stopping or breakage;. which is exceptionally light in weight, durable and inexpensive in construction, and rigid to flexure transversely of its planev of movement. Other objects and advantages will. be apparent from the following description of, an embodiment of the invention and the novel features will be particularly pointed out hereinafter in claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of a stick constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, a strip of metal 1, such as of spring brass or sheet steel, is bent upon aface into the shape of a U, and a tubular holder 2, preferably also of suitable metal, is secured between and connects the free ends of the arms of the U, the holder being secured to the arms in any suitable manner, such as by screws or rivets 3. The holder is (llS- posed with its axis endwise of the U, and is adapted to receive and support the peg 4; which may be of suitable material such as wood or metal preferably the former.

A bearing block 5 is secured between the. arms of the U and adjacent the base thereof,

in any suitable manner, such as by rivets or bolts 6, which pass through both the block and the arms of the U. The block is provided with an aperture 7 through which a supporting pivot shaft or pin (not shown) maypass for pivotally supporting the 'U for oscillation or rotation in the plane of the hant- A saddle block 8 is disposed between the arms of the U in the space between the bearingblock 5 and .the holder 2, the saddle block being secured to the forward arm, relatively to the shuttle driving movement, in any suitable manner, such as by screws 9. The forward edge 10 of the saddle block is preferably shorter than thespace between the holder and thebearing block, but extends for the major portion ofthat space. The rearward edge 11 ofthe saddle block is shorter than the forward edge.

The upper end of the saddle block is tapered forwardly and upwardly from the rearward edge, sothat if 'thepeg is-caught during its return movement the strips will.

flex upon the upper tapered end until the peg is released. During the forward or driving movement of the stick (shown the arrow at in Fig. 1), the long edge of the saddle reinforces the U so that little or no lost motion and also a slight it will have.

amount of resiliency due to the slight space a between the extreme upper end of the saddle block and the holder.

.The lower end of the saddle block is preferably tapered forwardly, relatively to the driving movement of the. stick, from the rear edge downwardly, so as to; lighten the stick without materially lessening its rigidity during the driving movement. The taper at the lower end also allows a slight flexing of the arms of the U during the return or rearward movement .of the stick if it caught for any reason.

In use, the stick is mounted at. the bearing block in the usual manner and a peg is, se-

cured in the holder at the upper end of th U. If for any reason the peg is caught, the strips of which the U is made willflea: and thus release the stick, and if the peg should. be broken it can be readily removed and replaced by a new one in a simple and expeditious manner, without highly skilled employees or expensive tools. The stick has considerable rigidity tov lateral flexure' because the strip forming the Uwill. o fer the greatest resistance to flexure .on its edge. The saddle block provides the necessary rigidity on the driving movement. By varying the length of thesaddle block the rigidity of the stick in its plane of movement can be'va-ried. A stick constructed in accordance with this indestructible,

inve 'ition is practically plane of rotation of the stick,

It will be apparent that various changes in the details and arrangements of the parts herein described and illustrated for the pnrpose of explaining the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the tart within the principle and scope. of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim l. A picker stick for loo-ms comprising a bearing block, a peg holder, flat strips of metal connecting the block and holder, the planes of the strips being transverse to the whereby the portions of the metal strips between the block and holder may flex somewhat within the plane ot'oscillation and be rigid in a transverse direction, and a saddle block conlined between said strips and between the beariiig block and peg holder, an endoi? the saddle block being tapered from one strip toward the other.

A picker stick for looms comprising a bearing block, a peg holder, flat strips of metal connecting and attached to the block and holder, the planes of the strips being transverse to the plane ot rotation of the stick, whereby the portions of the metal strips between theblock and holder may flex somewhat within the plane of oscillation and be rigid in a transverse direction, and a saddle block lit-ting between the fiat strips and less than the distance between the bearing block and peg holder.

A picker sti 7' for looms comprising a bearing block, a peg holder, flatstrips of metal connecting the block and holder, the planes of the strips being transverse to the plane of rotation of the stick, whereby the portions of the metal strips between the block and holder may flex somewl'iat within the plane of oscilh-ztioi'i and be rigid ina transverse direction, and a saddle block fitting between the fiat strips and along the major portion of the distance between the bearing block and peg holder, the upper end otthe saddle block being tapered upwardly from the back edge to the forward edge whereby the strips have less re istance to iiexure torwardly ot the driying stroke than rearwardly of said stroke.

4 A picker bearingblock, a peg holder,

stick torlooms comprising a flat strips of metal. connecting the block and holder, the

along the major portion of and planes of the strips being transverse to the plane of rotation of the stick, wherebythe portions of the metal strips between the block and holder may flex somewhat within the plane of oscillation and be rigid. in a transverse direction, and a saddle block fitting between the flat strips and along the major portion of the distance between the bearing block and neg holder, the upper end of the saddle block being tapered upwardly from the back I edge whereby the strips have less resistance to tlcxure forwardly of the driving stroke than rearwardly of saidstroke, the lower end of the saddle block beingtapered downwardly from the back edge to the forward edge whereby the mass of the saddle block may be lessened w-itl'ioutlessening the rigidity of the stick on the forward stroke.

A picker stick flexible in" the plane of. its travel, and having a saddleblock with a relatively reduced bearing surface at its rear side, whereby there is greater resistance to flexure in a rearward direction than in a forward direction relatively to the driving action of the stick, whereby the stick will drive the shuttle with yield more readily during the returirmovement. I

V 6. A picker stick comprising a strip. of flat flexible metal bent upon a face into a substantial U-shape, a peg holder carried be tween and joining the free ends of the arms of the U, a bearing block secured to the base portion of the U, a saddle blockbetween the arms of the U, spaced at the upper end from the holder, with upper end tapering torwardly and iiipwardly relative to-thedr-iving movement of the stick. 7 r V 7. A picker stick con'iprising a stripot flat flexible metal bent upon'a tace into a substantial ll-shape, a peg holder carried between and joining the free ends of the arms of the U, a bearing block secured to the base portion of the U, a saddle block between the arms of the U, spaced at the upper end from the holder, with upper end tapering ton wardly and upwardly relative to the driving movement of the stick, the lower end of thesaddle block being tapered downwardly toward the torward edge. in testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

EDlVARD MGCRAVV.

edge to the forward little flexure and will- 

